Photo/Illutration The building housing the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Women in Okayama Prefecture can expect to live longer than anywhere else in Japan, while the same holds true for men in Shiga Prefecture, according to the health ministry.

The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare released its 2020 Life Tables on Dec. 23, which showed that Shiga Prefecture near Kyoto topped the list for men for the second time in a row since the previous study in 2015.

Statistics by prefecture showed the nationwide average of life expectancy for 2020 was 87.60 years and 81.49 years for women and men, respectively.

Okayama Prefecture in the western part of the main island of Honshu recorded the longest life expectancy for women at 88.29 years, according to data from the Life Tables, while Shiga and Kyoto prefectures came second and third at 88.26 years and 88.25 years.

Shiga Prefecture chalked up the longest life expectancy for men at 82.73 years. Nagano Prefecture came in second place at 82.68 years followed by Nara Prefecture at 82.40 years.

Both men and women in Aomori Prefecture at the northern tip of Honshu had the shortest life expectancy nationwide at 79.27 years and 86.33 years, respectively.

The life expectancy for women improved most drastically from the previous survey five years earlier in Kyoto Prefecture by 0.89 year. The most dramatic rise for men of 1.17 years was posted by Tottori Prefecture in western Honshu. Estimated lifespans were up for all 47 prefectures.

The latest study was conducted around the time the novel coronavirus started spreading in Japan.

Statistics on the mortality rate by cause for the 2019-2021 period showed 0.53 percent of men died primarily of COVID-19 on average across the country.

The COVID-19 death ratio was highest among men in Okinawa Prefecture at 1.23 percent, followed by Osaka at 1.19 percent and Tokyo at 1.04 percent. The lowest figures of 0.02 percent, 0.03 percent and 0.04 percent were for Tottori, Akita and Shimane, respectively.

The national COVID-19 mortality average for women was 0.39 percent.

Okinawa Prefecture took the No. 1 spot at 1.12 percent on the list, while Osaka and Hyogo prefectures came next at 1.00 percent and 0.81 percent, respectively. Shimane was at the bottom of the list at 0.01 percent, while Tottori and Iwate booked the second and third lowest figures of 0.03 percent and 0.05 percent, respectively.

Related News